Daniel Southerland, 32°
General Secretary
secretary@seattle-scottishrite.org
John L. Hairston, 32°
Communicaotr Editor
johnhairston357@gmail.com
Ill. Brian Thomas, 33°
Treasurer
Tom Lamb, 32° KCCH
Almoner
PRESIDING OFFICERS
Tom Lamb, 32° KCCH
Master of Kadosh, Consistory
Todd Pike, 32°
Commander, Council of Kadosh
Ian Hyde, 32° KCCH
Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix
Bob Guild, 32°
Venerable Master, Lodge of Perfection
Seattle Scottish Rite Center
1207 N 152nd St.
Seattle, WA 98133-6213
206 324-3330 voice
206 324-3332 fax
The Communicator (USPS 485-660) is published by the
Valley of Seattle, A&A Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle,
WA 98133-6213, for the benefit of its members, bimonthly
and is mailed as a non-profit publication to all members
of the Valley of Seattle and to specified other interested
parties. $2.00 per member is assessed for the publication
of The Communicator. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle,
Washington and at additional mailing offices.
The material contained within this publication is intended for
the education and enjoyment of the members of the Masonic
Fraternity and all material published becomes the property
of Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite. Postmaster: Send address
changes to — The Communicator at 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle,
WA 98133-6213.

The above Letter written by Edwin Sherman, May 17th, 1905

Seattle Scottish Rite 3

News from the
Personal Representative
W

e are approaching the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The days are getting
longer reminding us that we will be soon beginning the degrees of the Scottish Rite to our
new Class of 2018. As of this Communicator, it is our expectation that the class will number
approximately seven. We will be balloting upon members of the prospective members through
the meeting in March, with the initial degrees set for April 3.
s we start this year, it is important that our members put forth their energies in attracting new
Master Masons into our Scottish Rite, and our valley, in particular. Please invite those who
may not be members to attend our stated meeting dinners as our guests.
embers are urged to act as quasi-ambassadors at their respective blue lodges and to inform
the lodge that the new Scottish Rite class is being formed. Membership packets are
available in the office.
t is with great pleasure that I announce that Brother John Hairston has been appointed the
editor of the Communicator, beginning with this issue. With his Masonic research interest, it
is our goal to continue to improve the value of the Communicator to our members
ur February stated meeting was a program by the Seattle Clinic of Early Life, Speech, and Language, the primary
charity of our Valley. The key speaker was Jackie Brown, clinic director, who spoke on the needs of children and their
parents as they struggle with this fundamental skill for growth and success. Support by the Seattle Valley members of the
upcoming Beer Fest, by attendance or voluntary support, was encouraged on April 14, all day in the Shoreline building.
ur March 20 meeting will be the annual Remembrance and Renewal ceremony, which will be hosted by the Rose Croix.
All meetings will be preceded with the usual dinner at 6:30 PM and the ceremony at 730 PM, followed by a brief
business meeting. March 31 will be the beginning of the 2018 degrees with the 4o, 5o, and the 14o for our class of 2018.
pril will be a busy month with our stated meeting on April 17. We will take the opportunity to perform another degree
that evening, to take another step in our 5-year plan to complete all the Scottish Rite degrees in that period of time. We
also want to inform the Scottish Rite members that May will be a special month, where we will have a doubleheader, the
dinner speaker will be Ms. Kim Wyman, Secretary of State of Washington State, followed by a message from our Grand
Master, MW Warren Schoeben as we approach the Grand Lodge communications in June.
e had a great class of 2017 with 12 receiving their 32o caps. We are looking forward to their involvement with us in
the activities of the Seattle Valley meetings and degrees. Body leaders will be contacting the classes of the past three
years to generate their interest and to participate in the many activities of the Seattle Valley. Towards this end, we will be
making the Knights of St. Andrew an important body as we step forth in the new initiatives.
new initiative this year is the beginning of a 5-year plan where we will be performing all the 28 degrees of Scottish
Rite over this period of time. Over the course of this year, we will be planning on performed 5-6 non-terminal degrees.
Other non-terminal degrees will be held, in conjunction with a terminal degree, or as a separate non-terminal Saturday
degree day(s).
Degree Passport, instead of the degree card is being planned. Based upon those being used in the Spokane Valley, it will
be tailored for the Seattle Valley. These will be issued to the new class, and previous classes, or members who wish to
have one. They will be stamped at the conclusion of every degree
Friends Night was hosted in January at the Shoreline building and a large number of members and non-members were
present. Informational tours of the building and information on Scottish Rite was part of the program. Interest was
expressed by many non-members. A mid-year event is being planned.
ur February stated meeting was a program by the Seattle Clinic of Early Life, Speech, and Language, the primary
charity of our Valley. The key speaker was Jackie Brown, clinic director, who spoke on the needs of children and their
parents as they struggle with this fundamental skill for growth and success. The clinic challenges were presented.
ur March meeting will be the annual Remembrance and Renewal, which will be hosted by the Rose Croix. All meetings
will be preceded with the usual dinner at 630 PM and the ceremony at 730 PM, followed by a brief business meeting.
ur two Scottish Rite clubs, sponsored by the Valley of Seattle, continue to have their meetings. will be having their
meetings in the coming weeks. The West Seattle Scottish Rite Club (WSSRC) had its first official meeting at Southgate
Masonic Center in Burien on 10 February. Further information on future meetings can be obtained by contacting Brother
Richard Syson at nosys@comcast.net. This initial meeting featured a description of the Master Craftsman program, which
is open to all Master Masons.
he second is the meeting of the Eastside Scottish Rite Club (ESRC) at Issaquah Masonic Center (ESMC), located in
Issaquah. Their meetings are held on those months with five Wednesdays, with the meeting on that date. Please contact
Dean Markley, secretary of the ESRC, wdeanm@gmail.com for upcoming dates and the respective programs.

O

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Personal Representativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Words continued on page 5

4 Seattle Scottish Rite

S

eattle Scottish Rite is in full swing getting our 2018 class started. We have seven candidates
ready to go and word has it we will see several more petitions before we start degrees. We are
looking forward to welcoming so many new brothers into Scottish Rite. Our lodge of perfection
degrees will be conferred on March 31st starting at 10:00 AM. We are looking forward to seeing
you all here to welcome our new brothers. Also if you would like to join in helping with the degrees, it is not too late to get involved, we are always looking for brothers to join in.

A

long with the degrees we are putting together a four year degree plan to confer every Scottish
Rite degree. Along with these degrees we are making a passport book everyone will receive.
This book will have a page for every degree. Once you attend the degrees you will receive a stamp
in the book. When the book is complete you will receive a certificate. This should be a fun and
great way to further your Scottish Rite education. The books will available soon here at Seattle
Scottish Rite. So get ready to enjoy.

A

s many of you know the 2018 Scottish Rite workshops are March 23-24. Did you also know
they are to be here in our area. In Bellevue to be exact. So there is still time to register and attend. If you don’t want to be a registered attendee maybe you would like to help volunteer for the
event. We still need people to help with this great event. Please contact me if you are interested.
It will be an excellent time so don’t miss out.

A

s we move forward with our brothers we all know life happens all around and we lose track of
each other. If you are our brother that has not been in to visit with us please know we would
love to see you at our table again. Many of you that are not current with your dues received a letter
from Supreme about how you can get reinstated and this program has been very successful here
at Seattle. All you need do is pay your 2018 dues and I will reinstate you. So if you have been
thinking about this, now is the time. We so look forward to seeing you all soon. Come in and see
what we have been doing and how we are growing. Don’t miss out.

T

he new beer club started their first batch this week so we look forward to trying the great results. Come join us in the members lounge have a taste of “The Rite Stuff” Should be another
fine time.

Fraternally,
Dan Southerland, 32°
General Secretary

Seattle Scottish Rite 5

Continued Communication
Personal Representativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Communication Continued from page 3...
Our third club in the south end of King County is temporarily on hold.
All Scottish Rite members of the Seattle Valley receive the Communicator but may
miss the fellowship with their fellow members of the valley and find the difficulttravel-miles to-and-from our Shoreline building a major problem. For these members, you are invited to attend one of the clubs in your area. Your attendance at the
club meetings is tantamount to attending our stated meetings.
For those who are able to attend our meetings at the Shoreline valley facility, you
are always welcome to our pre- and post-meeting fellowship time together. This is
becoming the highlight of our time together.
Sat Tashiro, Personal Representative

FT
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LIVE.
D.J

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TAST D
FOO

SATURDAY
APRIL 14, 2018
NOON

to 5:00p.m.

seattle scottish rite

masonic center
1207 N. 152nd St.
Shoreline, WA

tickets available at
brownpapertickets.com
#3084303
advanced

30

$

35

$

door

Support Your SeattleValley

6 Seattle Scottish Rite

WHATS NEW AT
EARLY LIFE SPEECH
& LANGUAGE
Sponsorship spots available for Beer Fest 2018!
The need is great. Your support is necessary! Ten percent of all children have a speech or language
problem. Early Life Speech & Language provides intensive therapy combined with parent education at no cost to the families. Our services are entirely supported by the generosity of donors
including sponsors to our beer festival.
Beer Festival? Yes! As of today, we have 12 of the 18 breweries secured for this great event taking
place on April 14th.
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We expect about 300 people to attend this event. We will be showcasing these wonderful local
breweries. The fun doesn’t end there, we’ll provide a bratwurst lunch, raffle items and live music.
We would be honored to have you as a sponsor. There will be multiple opportunities to highlight
your business before, during and after the event. You can join the likes of Washington Energy
Services, Chermak Construction, Beresford Booth, PLLC, J. Rankin Jewellers, Robinswood Financial, and Quest Factor Escape Room!
Since Early Life Speech & Language opened for business in 1984 we have served well over 3,000
children and their families. With the support of people and businesses that care we can serve many
more children in our communities.
Can we count on your support?
Please contact Connor Kelly at:
ckelly@earlylifespeech.org or 206.324.6293 for more information.
Tickets for the event are available here:
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3084303

Seattle Scottish Rite 7

Seattle Scottish Rite and its Impact on
Washington Statehood, Pt. 1

By SP John L. Hairston, 32Â°

One of the primary reasons I had for joining Scottish Rite was the rich, illustrious history and ubiquitous symbolism of the Rite. And, as a historian, I am constantly on quest for new discoveries that will further unveil the
expansive mysteries (both esoteric and historical) that surround its altars.
Our Valley Center is filled with beautiful symbolism and old documentation that speaks from the past regarding
the prestige of Scottish Rite Valley in Seattle.
One of the first artifacts that drew my attention, were the Charters that lined the entrance walls of the main Lodge
and Hall of Honor. These old documents that testify to the due and just constitution of our Scottish Rite bodies,
also bear some illustrious names, and with it, a connection to an unspoken and most significant fact regarding the
admission of Washington Territory into the union.
After speaking with Illustrious Bros. Greg Goodrich and Secretary General Dan Sutherland regarding the original
records of our Scottish Rite bodies, I was given access to the original, handwritten minutes of Washington Lodge
of Perfection No. 1, and Washington Council of Knights Kadosh No. 1.
Attached to the front cover of the Lodge of Perfection minutes was an interesting letter written by Illustrious Bro.
Edwin Sherman to Venerable Bro. William R. Towne, KCCH, dated May 17th, 1905.
The letter is handwritten, on a Masonic Veterans Association of the Pacific Coast Letterhead, of which Edwin
Sherman served as National President and Secretary.
The Masonic Veterans Association is a defunct organization that was organized in 1872. Our Illustrious Bro. Edwin Sherman actually wrote a book on the constitution and statutes of the Masonic Veterans Association, as well
as a brief history on Freemasonry in California and a history of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. Thus, the
letter increases in value just based on the letterhead alone.
continued on page 8

8 Seattle Scottish Rite

The letter builds on its value to Seattle Scottish Rite based on the history that pervades its contents. Here are the
contents of that letter:
“San Francisco, CA May 17th, 1905
William Roush Towne, 32 °, KCCH
Venerable Secretary of Washington Chapter of Rose Croix No. 1
Seattle, WA
Dear Sir and Ill. Bro.
I have received your notice of the funeral of our later Ill. Bro. Sir Rufus Willard 32°, whom I remember
well, having conferred the degrees of Scottish Rite upon him and installed him Treasurer of the bodies
which I created in Olympia on the 23rd of March 1872 over 33 years ago; the officers of the Seattle bodies
acting as Grand Officers, I having created the Seattle bodies and installed their officers on March 11, 1872
I created the bodies and installed their officers at Port Townsend on April 5, 1872 and those at Port Gamble
on April 13, 1872.
On April 17, 1872, I created Washington Consistory No. 1 at Seattle under the authority given me by Grand
Commander Albert Pike 33° and signed and sealed by the Secretary General Albert G. Mackey of the
Southern Supreme Council.
The Supreme Council refused to ratify this action by the Grand Commander and Secretary General, as
the authority to create a consistory required the previous legislative action of the entire Supreme Council,
consequently Washington Consistory No. 1, ceased to exist, Subsequently Bro James S. Lawson 32°, upon
whom I had conferred the degrees at Olympia, was authorized to create a Consistory at Seattle, now known
as Lawson Consistory, and he was created an active 33° for the Territory of Washington, which was not in
accordance with the customs and rules of the Rite, when it required that only states should be entitled to
active 33°.
However it had the effect of hastening the organization and admission of Washington Territory as a State in
the Union, and Lawson’s active Inspector Generalship was confirmed with it, and upon his death it passed
to Bro. Hayden 33° whom I conferred the degrees upon at Olympia on March 23, 1872.
Sometime in the near future should the bodies of Seattle desire it, I will give them a concise history of my
labors as Deputy Inspector General on the Sound.
I hope you receive what I sent you and that it will soon be returned.
Fraternally Yours in the Mysterious Numbers
Edwin A. Sherman, 33° Grand Cross”
Not passing over the important and significant dates of the elevation of Illustrious Bros like James S. Lawson
and James R. Hayden; and the specific dates of the start of the Scottish Rite bodies of Seattle, Port Townsend,
and Port Gamble; we are provided with a very important and unspoken fact regarding the Territory of Washington, and its admission into the Union of the Republic of America. According to Edwin Allen Sherman, it was a
Scottish Rite event being debated in the Supreme Council, regarding the creation of a Consistory in Seattle, that
hastened the Territory of Washington into the union on November 11, 1889.
According to Sherman’s letter, the Washington Consistory No. 1 was created April 17, 1872. Washington Territory was admitted to the Union June of 1889. The time elasped between the creation of Washington Consistory
and the statehood of the Washington Territory was 17 years. Hardly a “hastening” in my estimation.

continued on page 9

Seattle Scottish Rite 9

Without the 1872 or 1873 transactions of the Supreme Council (SJ), we do not get an insight into the debate regarding the disruption of the operation of the Consistory here, but looking at the 1874 transactions, we do not find
a Consistory for Washington Territory listed in the reports or returns for the Orient of Washington.
What is interesting to note in the 1874 transactions is the report of Inspector Ainsworth (Inspector General for the
State of Oregon). He reports:
“The Bodies in Washington Ty., established by Ill:. Bro:. Sherman, under special authority from the S:.C:., have
been (with one or two exceptions,) saved from decay and death, by the earnest, unselfish, and official labor of Ill:.
Bro:. Jas. S. Lawson, 32nd, whom I appointed as my special Deputy for Washington Ty., and whose official report
of his work in that territory as presented under the date of Jan. 1st, 1874, and April 3d, ‘74, are hereto attached
and made a part of this report.” (1874 Transactions of the Supreme Council at pg. 19)
According to the history of the Seattle bodies of Scottish Rite, Ill. Bro. Edwin Sherman was from San Franciso,
Califonia, and an active member of the Supreme Council. He was given special authority from the Supreme Council to set up Scottish Rite bodies in Washington Territory. He set up a Consistory in 1873, which was disbanded
due to “technicalities”, and it would seem that his presence in the Territory was limited and truned over to Inspector Ainsworth of Oregon, who deputized Ill. Bro. James Lawson to labor in the Washington Territory on Nov. 7,
1872, a little less than 8 months after the creation of the Seattle bodies by Ill. Edwin Sherman. There is no mention
of any disbanding of the Consistory in Ill. Lawson’s report.
The Letter of Patent for Pepetual Constitution on the wall of our Scottish Rite Masonic Center will also add to
the intrigue. According to that founding document, the Lawson Consistory No. 1 was not established until Nov.
11, 1881. And it wasn’t Ill. James Lawson who would issue the Patent, but rather Ill. James Rudolph Hayden.
According to the same Letter of Patent, the consistory’s name would return to the original name established under
Ill. Bro. Edwin Sherman, Washington Consistory No. 1, in 1933, until it was changed, by approval of the Supreme
Council, to Seattle Consistory No. 1, ten years later (1943).
In our next issue, we will further explore the background of the content of Ill. Bro. Edwin Sherman’s letter, and
hopefully provide more of our research into the masonic nature of the Statehood of the State of Washington.
To Be Continued...
Note:
A portrait of Ill.: Bro.: Edwin Sherman can be seen on the cover, and a photo of the Letter under
“Notable Scottish Rite Documents”

10 S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e

Messages
Happy Birthday!

Congratulations from all your Scottish Rite Brethren
to our members over 90 who have reached a very important birthday!